Memorial created at Rochdale Golf Club for Barbara Ada Wood

A memorial has been created at Rochdale Golf Club for Barbara Ada Wood, a life-long resident of Rochdale, who could be seen walking her dogs there in all weathers and time of day.

Three Himalayan beech trees have been planted and a plaque erected in her memory after the mother-of-two sadly died alone in January 2021.

Barbara was born in 1933 and lived her whole life in Rochdale, apart from a brief period where she lived in Haslingden. She attended the Girls’ High School (now Falinge Park High School) where she excelled both academically and in sports.

Barbara helped create the family firm – Frank Glover & Co – alongside her husband, Ronald, and also worked at Turners and the police force. She brought up two sons, Andrew and David, and her companions were her dogs: Trotter, Joe, Toffee, Betty and Maisy, and lastly, Tilly.

 

 

Together Barbara and Ron owned factories in Norden and Whitworth which employed quite a few people to the early 80s. The factory in Norden was making-up and sewing; they then bought Spodden Mill in Whitworth which in its day employed about 100 people in the valley.

Many years Ron's junior, Barbara lived out her retirement at the family home of 586 Bury Road and then in a more suitable home on Hands Lane close to the golf course.

Sadly, Barbara passed away in January 2021 at the height of the pandemic from complications including Covid following a fall. She was denied a proper funeral at the time and, thanks to the restrictions, it was a very sad ending to an otherwise rather good and happy life.

 

 

Son David said: “My brother Andrew, who lives in Littleborough, and I have created a small memorial to her with Rochdale Golf Club – three Himalayan beech trees planted with a plaque. The plaque has a QR code which takes you to a website created for mum.

“The club board very kindly agreed to our request to place a memorial there - she wasn’t the kind of person who deserved to be remembered only in a cemetery. She always had dogs throughout her life and walked them on the golf course; she was very well known to the other walkers and golfers.

“The memorial was planned in the spring after she died, and we got approval from the board in October. Tree planting season is in February so the trees and the site went live in March of this year.

“We’ll embellish the website over time as we get more images of Barbara, but it has been very popular with people who knew her and a nice way to remember happier times.”